Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Theodore Roosevelt

Theodore Roosevelt is sometimes called the "first modern president." Interpret this phrase and explain how it fits Roosevelt's conduct in office. Please use specific examples from your readings and notes.

28 comments:

Theodore Roosevelt was not only the youngest president of the United States, he was also a progressive that represented the desires of the american public. In his presidency he tackled the trusts, railroads, and conservation of the nation's resources. As an outdoors man, Roosevelt was alarmed when he noted the way that resources were being abused; to help minimize the impact of expansion he set up national parks and monuments. He was also not reluctant to attack trusts in the meat industry (as he was moved by Upton Sinclair's "The Jungle"), and made it illegal for railroads to give or take rebates under the Elkins act. One could say that Roosevelt truly represented the american public. He was active in his role as president, and because of that the public treated him as a national celebrity even naming the famed "teddy bear" after the beloved president.

Theodore Roosevelt was the first environmentally aware president who accomplished major tasks such as creating national parks, which conserved and monitored the environment in that area. As Steph said, he was also horrified with what Upton Sinclair unearthed in his book "The Jungle." The FDA was thus created, bettering the meat packing industry and other food manufacturing companies, making it safer for Americans to buy processed food. Roosevelt was also a loving man who was very charismatic and cared for important issues in America at the beginning of the 1900's and created many other reforms other than those dealing with the environment and the food business.

Theodore Roosevelt is the "first modern president” in that he was young and energetic and very social, he also became celebrity- like as Steph commented. In addition, TR had a different leading philosophy than past presidents; that is, “Speak softly and carry a big stick, you will go far.” He was easy to relate to, and also led boldly when needed as seen in through his actions in creating the Square Deal. TR’s Square Deal allowed for control of the corporations, consumer protection, and conservation of natural resources. He was one of the first truly social aware presidents, and the Square Deal is a prime example. He led a “sieve- like” trust busting expedition proving that he did in fact think about his tactic in busting mainly high- profile trusts. As Glenna pointed out, TR really cared for the consumer as his works (after reading Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle) led to the creation of the FDA ensuring true labels from food companies, allowing the consumer to know what they are eating. As a “modern president” TR recognized the environment and made efforts to preserve it through national parks. The Square Deal proves Teddy Roosevelt’s dedication to the people, but I think it is his dedication and social habits that allowed him to be known as the "first modern president.”

Theodore Roosevelt was the face of the progressive movement, and he brought the prestige of the presidency back to America. A former rough rider, he was the center of attention in every situation. He was outward and agressive in his political stances including that of trusts, where he let those including the steel trusts remain but attacked the "bad trusts." He was instrumental in working towards the building of the Panama Canal, even though it damaged relations with Latin America. He was also insistent on high tariffs, and government regulation of corporations, consumer protection, and national park land. His frequent clashes with other politicians were due to his never dying passion for politics. Teddy Roosevelt can be considered the first modern president because he appealed to the people and had an unwavering passion that led the way for future "modern" politicians.

Theodore Roosevelt is considered the first modern president because he expanded not only the influence but the power of the executive office. Also as Steph commented he was the youngest president and a progressive. In being a progressive it allowed Roosevelt to relate more directly to the people. Roosevelt tended to be more concerned with issues that people faced daily. As Glenna mentioned he was the first environmentally aware president; creating national parks. He also banned Christmas trees from the White House. The environment was one of his most pressing issues. Roosevelt is known for the creation of his square deal as Mary commented. This included control of the corporations, consumer protection, and conservation of natural resources. Trust busting was also important to Roosevelt especially in the meat industry. This lead to the creation of the FDA which made sure the meat was inspected before being shipped and labels on food items making sure people knew the ingredients. He believed that as the president he had the right to use all his powers. Roosevelt was truly dedicated to the people and making everyday life a little better.

Theodore Roosevelt can definitely be considered the first modern president not just due to his youth and vibrancy but to his accomplishments throughout his presidency. There was a long period of presidents including Cleveland and Arthur before Roosevelt who viewed the presidency as a very static position and didn't really do much to improve the country. Roosevelt, however, believed he could do anything as president that wasn't specifically forbidden in the constitution and took a very active role in running the country. He was also the youngest and most active president giving him a great deal of energy with which to run the country. His overall goals for his presidency were outlined in his "Square Deal" which included the 3 C's: conservation, control of corporations, and consumer protection. Roosevelt was the first president to really become concerned with the environment and he went on to build the first national parks to regulate the land and wildlife. Although Roosevelt was not afraid to come out against certain trusts like that of the Swift meat packing industry, he was more interested in regulating trusts than destroying them and let those which he considered "good trusts" such as the steel trust to remain . Roosevelt was also a crucial player in improving both food sanitation and drug regulation through his creation of the FDA and his passage of the Pure Food and Drug Act. Roosevelt's eagerness to improve the country and fearlessness in attacking practices he viewed as wrong made him beloved by the people and gives him the status of the first modern president.

If you look at his main goals, you will see that TR mainly focused on his three c’s: consumer protection, conservation of natural resources, and control of the corporations. Through these ideas, he promoted the idea of progressivism and helped brought the power away from monopolies and trusts. He wasn’t alone in these ideas, like Steph said, this was what America wanted. Once his presidency started, he remained very active and would continue to do what he thought would better the lives of the Americans. He brought down trusts and put acts on the railroads so that they couldn’t have such great control. After reading “The Jungle,” he started an investigation and brought the Meat Inspection Act of 1906. He then wanted to make sure that America realized that natural resources weren’t infinite, so he started making national parks and reserves hoping to preserve land. Roosevelt really cared for the U.S. and was one of the first to really want to work hard to make things better for all living in America, making him looked upon as the first modern president.

All of the previous comments have centered around the idea that Theodore Roosevelt was the United State's first modern president because of the bills he passed, trusts he busted, and progress he made while he was in office. While I am in agreement with most of this argument, I have a varying suggestion as to why Teddy Roosevelt is labeled our "first modern president."

While running for office, and then during his presidency, Roosevelt was the first politician to capitalize upon the media. This was an era of American history where newspapers were the bane of politicians. Media attention almost always meant political scrutiny, and the use of publications as ways to reveal political corruption was becoming the foremost purpose of the media industry.

Aware of the dangers posed by muckrakers, reporters, and anybody associated with newspapers, Thomas Roosevelt used the media to his benefit. Roosevelt knew the importance of one's public image, and so he made sure to use newspapers as a way to distribute images of him being the ultimate adventurer. He was often photographed off on safaris in Africa, or in some remote wilderness area, wearing outdoors garb.

This manipulation of the media became the way that Americans became so attached to the figure of Teddy Roosevelt, the adventurous explorer who would take risks even as president of the United States of America. It was these distributed publications that ultimately attributed to to Roosevelt being termed the United State's "first modern president."

As urbanization and industrialization continued to grow in America, so did issues concerning the environment, business, labor and sanitation. Theodore Roosevelt was the first president to begin tackling these issues during the beginning of modern America. Roosevelt attacked trusts such as those of the Railroad Business. The Elkins Act of 1903 made it illegal to give or recieve rebates for the Railroad Companies. Also, Roosevelt recognized the extreme deforestation occuring in the US. Roosevelt put aside 125 million acres of forest to be protected. Theodore Roosevelt was loved by the people because he got involved in fixing issues that affect the common citizen. Theodore Roosevelt was the first modern president because he was the first president to take action for change during the rapid urbanization of America.

Teddy Roosevelt is a modern president because he increased the powers of the exectutive branch. After the Civil War there was a string of "quiet" presidents like Mckinley, Cleveland, and Grant who were weak in getting what they wanted and did little to change American politics/government. At that time, the US Congress was the strongest branch. Teddy Roosevelt appealed to the public with his jovial qualities and athletic lifestyle to contribute to his popularity. This popularity added to his political power and presitige. With it, he passed many agressive environmental and foreign policy acts using executive order. Roosevelt the president should lead the country, not the congress

Not only was Theodore Roosevelt our "first modern president", but also our first environmentalist, the first president to really expand the power of the executive office, and the first to use the media to appeal to the public. His involvement in these areas reflect modern concerns. Whether it was hunting, fishing, or going on Safaris, T.R. loved the outdoors. As president, he set aside almost 200 million acres for national forests, reserves, and wildlife refuges. Many of his land conservation goals were acheived by executive order. Teddy was the first president to use the powers of the presidency to its fullest. If the power wasn't strictly a 'no' in the Constitution, he used it. He brought the public's focus away from Congress and political parties, to the president himself, much as it is today. T.R. was very committed to the public, and they loved him for it. He was the first president to support the idea of universal healthcare, or national health insurance. He also put forth his "Square Deal" which was full of things aimed at bettering the lives of the public (workplace reform, government regulation of industry, and it also set the stage for the welfare program.) All of these firsts put together are what make Theodore Roosevelt into our "first modern president."

Fun Fact: TR was also the first American to win the Nobel prize (he won the Nobel Peace Prize in 1906 for his negotiation in the Russo-Japanese war.)

Theodore Roosevelt, who went into office in 1901 and served until 1909, is considered the first modern President because he expanded the influence and power of the executive branch. Roosevelt continued the trend of increasing the power of the executive branch. This lead to the President becoming the center of the American political arena. When Roosevelt was president, he challenged the ideas of limited government and individualism. He supported government regulation to achieve social and economic justice. He used Presidential power to accomplish his goals, especially in conservation, and carried on an aggressive foreign policy.

Theodore Roosevelt is often called the first modern president because he significantly increase the influence and power of the executive office. Beginning around the 1880s, the executive branch began to gradually gain power within government, and Roosevelt, following his belief that the President was fully entitled to use all powers (except those that he was specifically denied) to accomplish his goals, continued with this trend. He was the youngest president and was also a progressive, so he was in touch with the american public and had a good idea of what they wanted. Known as the "trust-buster", Roosevelt decided that because he didn't like trusts, he was going to try to fix them. He introduced the Square Deal, in which he moved to control corporations, protect consumers, and conserve the nation's natural resources. Teddy Roosevelt especially enjoyed nature and didn't like hearing about the constant abuse of resources. To try to fix this problem, he withdrew large amounts of land from the public and set up many national parks, wildlife reservations, and monuments.Roosevelt was active in his role in government and represented the public well, making him a very popular president.

TR was the first modern president because he was the first president in this time period to actually take action. Our country was in need of change and he brought it with his square deal plan. He decided on 3 major areas that needed the most change which were conservation, corporations, and consumers. His three C's. He was one of the first minds in America to believe it was necessary to conserve some of our nations beautiful landscape. He was also the first president in this time to see corruption of corporations using their power to develop monopolies via trusts. These corrupt trusts forming monopolies caused TR to start his Trustbuster campaign to save Americas economy. Finally, TR brillant idea to protect the consumer in his Square deal plan helped save the American people from poverty by destroying monopolies.

Theodore Roosevelt may be considered America's "first modern president" because of his powerful leadership, reforms, and bold accomplishments whose impacts and efforts may still be found today. The "Rough Rider" felt that the president may take any action in the general interest that is not specifically forbidden by the laws of the Constitution. His Square Deal embraced control of corporations, consumer protection, and conservation of the environment and natural resources. T. Roosevelt's achievements and ideas are what define him as the "first modern president" and one of America's most memorable.

Teddy Roosevelt was the first US president who was not caught up with sticking with tradition, and was in fact much younger and more vivacious than any other president the US had had before. Teddy saw that the US economy was becoming corrupt as monopolies were popping up and making it harder and harder for familes to support themselves. Although an attitude of laissez-faire was how the federal government had approached bussiness in the past, Teddy became involved. Teddy Roosevelt the Trust Buster claimed that monopolies were bad for the US citizems (which was true) and started to regulate bussiness affairs. TR shortened the workday for many, and endorsed the Food and Drug administration and the Meat Inspection Act allowing consumers to safely know what they were eating, and that it is sanitary.

Shawn Kuruganti-Theodore Roosevelt was the "first modern president," because he got involved and represented what the American people wanted. After several terms, in which the federal government represented a laissez-faire attitude, this young, bold president broke out of the bad habits that the American government had fallen into. He was one of the first politicians to tackle the issue of land conservation, a part of his square deal, in which he focused on the three C's, conservation, consumer protection, and control of corporations. He also was the first to start regulating, and in some cases dissolving trusts. He also shortened work days and helped make life easier on the workingman of America. He even managed to make our food safer by endorsing Acts such as the Meat Inspection Act, after reading, in "The Jungle," about the terrible things that went into the meat in packing facilities.

Theodore Roosevelt was the youngest president who was also very aware of the enviornment and he was a progressivinist. He was known as a "trust buster" because he was also a muckracker who exposed and "busted" teh big trusts such as the oil and steel trusts. His bigest trust busting act was his attack of the meat indusrty. This brought about the meat inspection act and others which made people very aware of what tehy were eating.

Theodroe Roosevelt it considered America’s “first modern president” because of he leadership, reforms, and accomplishments this same characteritics can be found today in presidents. Todays presidents are friendly just as Theodroe. They walked around and talked to people just as if they area everyday people. The was that Theodroe campaigned also is simialr to the way presidents campaign today. Theodroe aslo loved his job, and didn’t consider it to be something he had to do, but more of what the wanted to do. He also was good at making deals to make America a better place. An example of this is the Square Deal, it helped control corporations. All of these ideas and accomplishments helped T. Roosevelt the “first modern president.”

This applys to Theodore Roosevelt becasue when he stepped into office so many people respected him as a person. he represented what a president should have acted and been like. Precidents should have been set off of him. He did his best in getting rid of "bad trusts" and putting in good ones. he helped new tarrifs to be passed. also when he stepped into office thats when the "Progrssive" period sprung about. he changed the goverment politically and changed it democratically. his period helped schools, welfare pragrams, roads and conservations. when mentioning his name, everyone notices the changes he made on present day society. When president Taft came into office he didnt run the "presidents" job very well. seeing that Roosevelt didnt like seeing his people happy he stepped back in and used his "big stick" to put back in organization and power. Roosevelt represented a lot of things, but one being a moderate president. he did many things to help grow this country into what it is now.

Theodore Roosevelt is considered the "first modern president" mostly because he expanded both the influence and power of the executive office. He was a progressive who challenged the ideas of limited government and individualism. He used executive orders to accomplish his goals, exspecially in conservation. He was a very popular president and gave the people what they wanted. He was also the first to use media which appealed to the people.

Theodore Roosevelt is known as the "first modern president" due to certain actions he had taken in office which had not been done by previous Presidents. Such acts include "The Square Deal" in which Roosevelt wanted government to help the people by supporting them, and getting their ideas out. Another act which was created by the Muckraker Upton Sinclair, with the publication of his informative novel "The Jungle" gave a basis on which Roosevelt could enforce the action of the meat packing industry. This showed that Roosevelt was not only active as a president but actually cared for the actions which he had created. Mr. Roosevelt had also created the idea of National Parks, where the land could not be settled on and would be taken care of. Because of all these active roles he has played as the president and changed many views and ideas of America, some may argue that he is called the "first modern president."

Roosevelt dramatically changed the image of an American president, a Rough Rider he was a peoples president an lived a high-thrill western lifestyle although coming from a wealthy family. After becoming governor of New York he was nominated for president and introduced the personal motto "speak softly and carry a big stick", to America. Roosevelt did so by boldly establishing the U.S. as a foreign power to be reckoned with he signed numerous treaties with Asian countries such as the Root-Takahira agreement, pushed for American construction and control of the Panama Canal, brought the Monroe Doctrine to new interpretation, and created power and confidence in the nation by commanding sixteen American battleships around the globe, a show for all. Teddy Roosevelt introduced unfamiliar tactics and boldly led the U.S., for better or worse with his "big stick"

TR was the first modern president of the United States because he was the first president to fix the real problems with the American people, also known as progressive. However, he also fixed problems that were not necessarily problems of the people, but they were problems of the nation, represented by his National Parks. His progressiveness is also seen through his trust busting, which consisted of fighting the large rich aristocratic society that was strangling the middle and lower classes. TR is the first modern president because he was able to listen to the people through faster communication forms, thus allowing him to help all people.